The Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, announced Monday an investment of 34.3 million in digital arts. An announcement made on the sidelines of the 7e International market for digital creativity, Hub Montréal, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.
Minister Lacombe recalled that the development of digital creativity was one of his three priorities, a sector that he considers “the culture of the future”. Its presence at Hub Montréal, a first in seven years, served as a launching pad for the government’s strategy for the next two years.
For phase 1, the government wants to promote the accessibility of digital works in public spaces, encourage the export of companies in digital creativity, set up an aid program for producers of digital experiences, expand credit for tax for the production of events and offer additional support for the realization of projects between partners in the community, such as Hub Montréal, which receives aid of $350,000, Xn Québec, the La Piscine incubator, etc.
The lion’s share of this investment, i.e. 15.4 million, will be granted by call for projects as part of the program Call for projects to promote Quebec culture.
“Our first objective is to bring digital creativity to life,” Minister Lacombe said at a press briefing. We want to work on demand, with municipalities, First Nations, Inuit, museums, public libraries, to produce events throughout Quebec. Concretely, in city centers, on buildings that give meaning to our communities, in parks or on commercial arteries. »
Mathieu Lacombe gave examples of the historic circuit of Memory Cityin Old Montreal, Flight of the mechanical bird in Charlevoix or the multimedia tour Foresta Lumina from Moment Factory, in Coaticook.
The Ministry’s second objective is to “better support businesses and artisans of digital creativity”, in particular by mobilizing the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) and SODEC, whether to support producers of experiences digital (10 million will be allocated to them) or offer an advisory service, a financial assistance program and tax measures, including a refundable tax credit for the production of events or multimedia environments which will increase from 50% to 60%.
Finally, the government’s third objective is to strengthen the digital creation ecosystem. “We must work with the Ministry of Economy and Innovation to have access to even greater resources. » A sum of 1.2 million will be invested to finance these “networking” projects.
Also present at the Hub Montréal kickoff, the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, took the opportunity to announce direct aid of 3 million to the Société des arts Technologies of Montreal (SAT).